"When sorrows like sea billows roll.........whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul."
I don't have all the answers for every question about Scripture as to "how come this happens or how come that happens" and where is God in personal tragedy? I do know that "all" that God would have us to know is in His Word revealed by the Holy Spirit. These are the only sources of understanding that God has supplied us with to know His will from the beginning to the end.
God's word is Spirit and it takes a spiritual man, (a man who has the Spirit of God), to properly preach and teach what the Word of God says. Having the baptism in the Holy Spirit opens our hearts to receive the "revelations" in Scripture that God has for us "daily" convenient with His will. This is hard for the "believer" who has not the Holy Spirit to understand let alone make "righteous" judgments about what he presumes Scripture is saying. The standard practice with "the ignorant or unbelieving" is to try to master, with carnal knowledge, what is implied in God's Word which is then presented wrongly or incomplete at best. Then those in the same "spiritual" condition run with those erroneous lessons and propagate a lie or at best week application.
Two conditions must be in place to preach and teach the "deep things of God." First: is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Second: it has to be in God's timing, "today is the day, if you hear my voice do not harden your heart." We who are "in Christ" are not all at the same "time of hire for work in the fields" place in our walk. The reward for the labor is the same but we all start at a different time and place in the harvest field. So each individual Christian will need different instruction convenient for his walk "daily." Here is where the "strong" temptation comes in to run ahead of spiritual truth (knowledge/wisdom) to have a show of maturity but no depth of understanding. Shallow ground that causes the new sprouted faith to rise quickly then whither under adversity, for the "lack" of wisdom, the "why." Like a house built on the sand. When the waters rise and rage against the house it falls. I can even go so far on this "most important point" to say "we have (in some instances of teaching) become a house divided." A house divided will fall, and with all the "interpreted" applications of Scripture that collide with Truth our current state leaves us weak and loosing our ability to "posses the land." We even lack the revelation of what God is doing daily in our lives and why. Instead of falling on our knees and begging for wisdom from the Word, we collapse in spiritual defeat devoid of comfort and unable to comfort others when they are in the same position. If we had been diligent to "daily hear His voice" about "what He was daily teaching/showing us", instead of "running after our own agenda" we would be prepared for the most devastating events with grace and faith, not suffering defeat, having the "Mind of Christ" and the Holy Spirit for comfort and restoration. This does not mean that we will not "hurt" or "suffer some kind of emotional" reaction but it does mean that "God's grace is sufficient for us", and He will take us through.
So how do we get to this point? What is the answer?
The answer is in God's Word and comes by His Spirit. Hear is where "having the Mind of Christ" comes in. Most people "dissect" the Word into pieces to make is manageable to understand, but the Word is a whole, not a part, as we see in the verse "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The Word became Christ "God with us", not one dot or tittle left out or off, so it should be the same when it comes to understanding the Word. We should read God's Word (Jesus Christ) daily listening for God's voice to instruct us "convenient for that day" which will not segment the flow of God's instruction but present it complete in Christ "even as He is." All instruction or revelation, (God's Word revealed), by the Holy Spirit will always be complete with the whole of Scripture never eliminating or opposing at any point, as a "house built on a rock", able to withstand any adversity thrown at it. Hear is a side thought that will lend credence to the above statement: If any of God's Word has been eliminated through dispensation, or any other carnal means of interpretation by man, then the question that begs to be answered is "what part of Christ is missing?" If the gifts do not exist any more then what body part of Christ is deformed or missing? If what God has set in the church as positions then what part of the power of Christ is removed? Carry this thought over to "us the body of Christ and members in particular, now it becomes clear why His bride/church is "loosing its foundation." With that said it becomes clear why we are "questioning why." God has prepared His people to "overcome" all the obstacles of life with grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit so that we "fail not."
So now the question: Why do bad things happen to Godly Christian people, and why does God allow all the evil in the world to go on seemingly without His intervention?
Here is an answer in part based on the completeness of His Word.
God knows all things, is everywhere at once (fills all His creation), and is all powerful. You must believe that first off. Any doubt in this area is like being in a sinking boat and shooting holes in the bottom to let the incoming water out.
This being true we can know that when God created all there is seen and unseen, He also knew before hand that we (man) would sin and fall short of the Glory of God causing His creation to succumb to destruction (the original "house divided"). Knowing this He still proceeded with creation already having a redemptive plan in place to enact "in it's time." He also created all things in Him, His presence, so that all, believer's and non believers (all creation) would be "of Him, through Him and to Him" that nothing would be outside of His Word. Everything in creation is in His presence and cannot escape the Truth of His Holiness or righteous judgement. They may not admit it but all are part of His footstool and because of that, and being in His presence, have exposure to a conscience knowing right from wrong.
All of creation was set in place by our Creator and then He rested. Another way of putting it is that the outline or map of how things work has been written in His Word and all we have to do is gain His understanding and application of it to have the Way of and to life. "Today if you hear My voice" is one of the keys to the map. By Omniscience He created all things, this means seen and unseen which includes His "time frame" to preform all His will, (remember creation is the complete expression of God's will for us), by Omnipresence He filled His creation so that nothing is out from under His Word or authority, and then by Omnipotent His complete power to "create out of nothing those things that exist" which then become under His Word to set limits and consequences for every thought, word and deed that takes place in creation (Him).
Nothing in the scope of creation is a surprise to God and nothing in creation was not seen before the beginning by God. All things were set in place before He started this creation including the writing of the Bible from Gen 1:1 to Revelations 22:21. Just for clarity: the Bible was place in the wise of a writing for one reason........to be a constant witness "against" us for reference throughout the existence of His creation, God knowing that, as with the serpent and Eve, that the spoken word can be twisted and used to deceive, but the written Word would be the moral reference that cannot change and "bears witness to the Truth that sets free." He even went one step beyond "setting" His Truth in writing by "making it flesh and having Him dwell among us for a while'. Note: though many deny the Deity of Christ none can deny the evidence of Christ as all of history is based on His life (birth) as the only true division of time/history: BC and AD. God's redemptive plan revealed "in it's proper/perfect time".
Moving on we, realizing that the written Scripture is a guide or map for God's creation. We realize that if we follow this guide and all it's instructions as a whole we will (by God's Spirit) gain revelation as to how it is "supposed" to work (according to His design, not our vain imaginations), and have the answers we seek to the questions that perplex us or "usurping authority" over us thus blocking grace and causing defeat.
God's design is based solely on authority......HIS authority. His design, His creation, His "in Him, through Him and to Him are all things," without doubt perfectly put together "eternally" the right way, the only way........His way.
That being settled all we have to do is "grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ" daily and all things (in accordance with His will and timing) will be accomplished according to His Word, commands and promises.
If we as His body find grace insufficient for the problem that oppresses than who is at fault? He who made and empowers the promises, or we His "representation" on earth who are supposed to be obedient to His authority? The verse come to mind: "Let God be true and every man a liar." We have been a "disobedient and gainsaying people." We are the ones who "fail and fall short of the Glory of God", even when He not only promised to give us gifts, and provided "power" through the Holy Spirit to preform them for His Glory. "We have become a stiff necked people" and this is not a new thing, for didn't Christ say to His disciples "Oh faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and suffer you". Why did He say that? Because after walking with Him all those years they still "were sinning" through lack of faith. After walking from city to city preforming miracles and preaching "the kingdom of God is neigh", seeing the power of God made manifest in proclamation of the Gospel, they were defeated by a stubborn demon who resisted leaving the boy. Lack of faith made them weak, not seeing the "will of God", (as they were commanded to perform), as "able" to do what He commanded to perform. They were then unable to receive grace and sinned through lack of faith leaving the needy boy in affliction. They knew the will of God, seen it's miraculous power over evil, then was defeated when it was put hard to test.
We are that way today, and so we are at times, through lack of knowing the "will of God", by not hearing His voice daily, oppressed by "disobedience" to God's Word and suffer defeat when tragedy comes against us. Again this does not relate to the emotional strife of tragedy that we feel but has to do with unanswerable defeat that we show to others that observe.
So here is the Scriptural process, at least in part, to answering this dilemma:
Be prepared daily by hearing God's voice and being instructed by His Word and Spirit in accordance with His will for "that" day. Remember we can learn and retain lessons from the past but we cannot receive grace for tomorrow. Instructions are good for a life time but grace is convenient for "today."
Believe His Word as it is written. Not your interpretation as to practice or existence. God's Word tells us to ask, seek and knock, knowing that in His perfect time we will receive of His promises as we are obedient to His commands, "if you love me you will obey my commands and my commands are not grievous", "and whatsoever you ask in my name that will I do, that the Father be glorified in the Son. If ye ask anything in my name I will do it." But all must be asked "according to His will": "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.…"
So how do you know the will of God?
His will is shown in His Word which both denotes the "doing" and His "timing." So to know His will we have to "know His Word" by the Spirit not our vain imaginations. The other side to this application is "to be obedient" to His Word and partake in all His commands. If you don't obey a stop sign there is "consequences", if you don't obey the carrying out of His commands there is consequences. You cannot "receive" unless you ask in His name, but you cannot ask unless you have faith that His Word is true. Praying a petition without faith is an insult to God and His Word. It's saying "meet my needs Almighty God.......if you can." Nothing is impossible with God when the asking is in Jesus name and according to His will. We "fail" because we don't "apply" the commands which bring His promises because we are, for lack of a better word, embarrassed! If we do not obey His commands to do them we WILL NOT receive the promises that has been set aside for us to prove His power, authority and Truth to all His creation. We both loose, believer and non believer. We both suffer the consequences of our "lack of faith" as does the whole world and this allows these insulting questions to come up as an affront to the Divinity of God. Not all "His people" practice laying on of hands and are disobedient to His commands to "heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and preach the Word with signs and wonders following. Why? Again carnal teachings, lack of Biblical practices, derision that these things still happen or embarrassment. Questions like this are asked: What if I (we) are bold to pray and nothing happens? My church doesn't practice these things so what should I do? How do I know whether or not it is God's will?
The first two questions fall under the verse that says: "if you deny me before men I will deny you before the Father," it boils down to the fear of man is greater than obedience to God's commands which then also causes the command to "Glorify your Father in Heaven" to fail. This is based on ignorance which is the cause for "lack of faith." The third question can be answered with "lack of discipline". This proves that we know not the Word of God, we haven't "listened to His voice as long as it is called today", and we that we would rather question God than be "faithful" to His instructions.
Here is an example:
A child suffers and dies............
I know what I am talking about in this because we lost 4 out of 13.
Our emotional grief was devastating but our spiritual grief was even greater. With the first two we were lost, not prepared with prayer, not knowing how to "ask in His name", ( we knew the Scriptures but had no spiritual revelation at the time for the promises or commands), and quite frankly we embarrassed God, not having any hope, just carnal despair, of little faith. Healing and trust was a long process that ended up in "being prepared" for the next time. The third loss came with great prayer and preparation from the first sign of trouble. Though we still lost the child God worked an incredible miracle in the process that redeemed and strengthened our faith by raising my wife from the dead, an after effect of the miscarriage. She hemorrhaged out of blood in the bathroom. I could of just called 911 but instead, "being full of faith and the Holy Spirit" I fell upon her face to face and cried out to God for around 10 minutes saying "in Jesus name, in Jesus name." I was then giving the ability to pray as having no words, with deep groans and weeping, like Jesus that night in the garden, and as Paul said: "praying with my mind and with my spirit". After that we knew God's will was for her to live and the baby was to be with Him. Perfect peace followed, not fear or questions, not vain imaginations, but the perfect will of God according to His word and His timing. Ask and you shall receive. Ask according to His will "convenient for that day" and it shall be added unto you.
Most the time we never know the will of God in distressing matters because we are used to "not asking" showing that we are agreeable with defeat, passive about the situation as "it isn't me", or placing our hope in the medical field and thinking that we don't really have to rely on God for this one. I will take this one step further about the medical field: We pray for the situation first that God would guide the hands and minds of the doctors before we pray with faith that He would take the lead to heal divinely Himself first if at all. We walk by sight not by faith. Doctors first God as co-pilot. Oh ye of little faith. How long shall God put up with us. We are to put it in God's hands first and foremost then if He leads (not our fear) then the doctors second. "If there be any sick among you let them call for the elders to lay hands on them and pray the prayer of faith" I add "first", then they discerning the will of God will know what to do next. Oh by the way by praying the prayer of faith I don't want to imply a lazy, nonchalant voicing of words; but a well prepared (with fasting if needed) Spirit led utterance, with those only who believe, taking time to "seek God's face" and know His will.
Another point to make is this: some are taken because of the times to come. God, already knowing all things, (our lives as a story already told, our members before they were formed in the womb,) knew our trials and tribulations ahead of us and prepared a way out of them. Sometimes that "way out" is death. He made us and He knows us better than ourselves so He knows when one of His will fall and this is the answer that brings Him the most Glory. His gain, but sometimes our pain. If we look a the big picture we are the ones that are in the lesser place, and we should rejoice for those going home. Grieve our loss but praise His gain. Death is the victory as the old hymn goes.
All governance is set up by God, in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in every "organization" is God's structure of authority. We (mankind) in every way copy His "chain of authority". We have the head, (top authority), and those under his authority, then the workers in the fields. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
For any government or business to be successful they must have rules, and codes of operation to live by. If you work for one of these entities you will quickly find out that there are consequences for breaking or not obeying the rules. There are also "benefits" to obeying the rules which result in good consequences. As this structure is taken from God's design we have to asses that God works the same way. Blessings and curses, gains and losses, based on our knowing and putting into practice His commands and promises.
Remember that He is conforming us into the "Image and likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ, now, here on earth, to do those things He did and greater things, seeing His Father doing His word and doing it also (knowing His will), preaching the kingdom of God is at hand with signs and wonders. Now how are we going to accomplish this if we don't believe what Our Father has commanded and promised (not to mentioned "empowered") us to do.
Lack of discernment is another area that we wallow in. That is why spiritual discernment is a gift of the Spirit. Without it we don't know how to pray or what to pray against. Our battle is against spiritual wickedness in high places many times. Some are trying to oppress us and others have free reign because we have invited them in to do that. When my wife died I didn't bind the devil, I asked in Jesus name for her return to life. She wasn't demon possessed she was dead from hemorrhaging, that was discernment.
How about the sick and healing?
The prayer of faith is about asking God to reveal His will. Yes it takes faith and having the gift of healing certainly would help but putting it on a personal basis it's still about knowing and experiencing the will of God for that time and person. Are you bold to ask? Have you faith? If so you qualify to be obedient and offer up the "prayer of faith". Now comes the hard part...What if the results are negative after truly crying out in the spirit to God with faith? Then you have your answer as to what God's will was. Remember it's not your will but "thine will be done." Jesus is the best example of knowing His Fathers will through prayer with a negative response.........in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here He cried out sweating blood in the prayers intensity, really wanting to have the cup taken from Him and what was the end of His prayer and the outcome? "Not my will but thy will be done", and it was, the answer was "stay the course I have put you in".
Surely God's own Son, sinless, holy, pure, untouched by the world would get what He asked for? Right? Sorry. Jesus knew that He came for one purpose and one purpose only: to redeem all mankind by fulfilling the prophesies and spilling His atoning blood on the cross, becoming a curse, letting His obedience to His Fathers plan end in agonizing death ( the likes of which no one has ever received again), then by gaining the victory over sin and death by His Resurrection.
If God could answer His only begotten Son this way why should we feel that we are pushed beyond the limits when we experience the same answer at times to our prayers. To question God's answer is to question God's authority. God has a design for praise when the answer is yes and for grieving when the answer is no. Grieving is not "blaming God" but brings closure to the loss that we experience.
Remember that God is "manifesting Himself in all the earth" through what we are asking in prayer during times of distress. Ours or others. His hand is not shortened as to not being able to work miracles today and in days of past.
Don't let "others" leaders or otherwise diminish your faith through fear or false teachings.
Know God through Jesus Christ.
Believe His commands and promises.
Act upon His commands and promises.
Do not be bound by fear of "the answer".
If you don't ask you will never know what it would of been.
Here is a question you should be asking:
How many sick stayed sick, how many possessed stayed possessed, how many blind are still blind, how many died that are still dead BECAUSE you didn't ask?
You will never know on this side will you? I bet you will know when you stand "face to face" on that day. Then you will look upon His face and fall down in shame to think that "so much more could of been done if we only knew".
When you get there, and you see those that have gone on before, that you knew here in life, what will you think about "doing nothing in their time of need?"
BELIEVE
OBEY
PRAY
PREACH
&
PERFORM
GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN
AND THE GRACE OF GOD THE FATHER AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU. AMEN
With all Love in Christ
J&E
